0 comments. Twardosz claimed the man pictured is an agent contracted with ZTI, a private security company, hired to arrest and detain protesters in Portland. HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. "People have broken into the Portland Police Association office and lit the building on fire," the. A safe route is south on the AMC lawn towards Alameda. They do wear camouflage, but they're supposed to wear emblems; patches that indicate that they are federal law enforcement," Johnson said. of Defense, and an alphabet soup of other US government agencies. Brown said she told Wolf "that the federal government should remove all federal officers from our streets. "Some reform needs to happen, but a protest in a neighborhood is not the place to do it.
Other versions of the viral claim feature images of an officer with a patch that reads "SRT," according to Stephanie Dube Dwilson, writer for Heavy.com. Ambassador Susan Rice boosted an unfounded conspiracy theory about federal law enforcement in Portland. Regardless, we don't know who these people are. The statement said CBP agents suspected the person seen in the video Merkley re-tweeted of "assaults against federal agents or destruction of federal property," and that they moved the person to a safer location for questioning after they saw "a large and violent mob move towards" them. Neither Twardosz nor Maxwell replied to a request for comment from USA TODAY. "These criminal actions will not be tolerated.". While the original post has been deleted, Rice’s tweet remains published. Sign up here, Oregon governor, federal authorities reach agreement to begin withdrawing agents from Portland, Reporting on a deadly airstrike in Afghanistan, Federal agents, officers head to Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee as Operation Legend expands, "Federal agents in unmarked cars, 'wall of moms': Here's what's happening in Portland", Mathieu Lewis-Rolland, July 21, 2020, tweet, "Jeh Charles Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security, 2013 - 2017", "Russian spies and back channels: Media reports point to pair of Trump associates", "Mercenaries, Private Military Contractors Can Destabilize Rule of Law, Expert Tells Third Committee, amid Calls to End Racism, Respect Migrant Rights", Department of Homeland Security Briefing on Protests in Portland, Marc A. Morgan, July 17, 2020, tweet thread, "ZT1 Patch on Portland Agent in Viral Photo Is an Identifier for Anonymity", Frontline, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Vol. sponsor. This one was shared on Facebook by Mike Karl and, as of the time of publication, has 422 comments and 3,330 shares. However, that is not accurate. "Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. "Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism.". Morgan also referenced examples of the markings federal agents are wearing on their uniforms. As rioters in Portland continue their 57th straight day of violent assaults on local and federal law enforcement with mortar-style fireworks and lasers that can cause permanent blindness, sister protests have popped up across the country of anarchists rioting in solidarity with Portland. Mark A. Morgan, senior official performing the duties of the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said during a July 21 Department of Homeland Security briefing that he authorized and supported anonymity for officers acting in a federal capacity in Portland. More:Federal agents, officers head to Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee as Operation Legend expands. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. By Amir Vera, Konstantin Toropin, Josh Campbell and Alta Spells, CNN, Updated 0002 GMT (0802 HKT) July 20, 2020. Oregon Gov. One man, who only identified himself as Pat, said he lives three houses away from the PPA building. Former Vice President Joe Biden will take the debate stage for the final time tonight as new questions surrounding his son’s overseas business ventures explode.
On the man's shoulder is a patch with letters "ZTI" or "ZT1." https://t.co/RBLSQN2heG, — Congressman Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) July 25, 2020. First, on mercenaries: Saeed Mokbil, Chairperson-Rapporteur for the United Nations' Working Group on mercenaries and human rights violations, said mercenary-related activities undermine target 16.2 of U.N. Department of Homeland Security personnel were caught on camera arresting protesters and putting them in unmarked cars. American groups including NeverTrump operation the Lincoln Project served as Iran’s American foot soldiers, buying into the disinformation and amplifying it.
The company is owned and operated by its founder, Rudy Zadnik, who emphasizes moral and business excellence over increasing company profits. Here's one reason why, Republican senator's awkward debate moment may hurt her reelection bid in key state, camouflaged federal officers without identification badges, US attorney wants probe after video shows masked, camouflaged feds arresting protesters, Mayor says the administration's policing tactics are 'abhorrent', Opinion: Unidentified security forcing citizens into cars is a mark of dictatorship. The Starbucks underneath has been destroyed, and cops are telling us to stay away in case something explosive is inside. There are "dozens if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city, and what they're doing is they are sharply escalating the situation," Wheeler said. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "Our men and women in uniform are patriots," he said in another tweet that featured uniformed officers who looked to be similar to the ones shown in the video from earlier in the week.
Twardosz also mentioned Blackwater in his post. sponsor.
CNN's Alta Spells, Geneva Sands and Kristen Holmes contributed to this report. “We need answers and accountability,” Rice wrote on Twitter in response to a now-deleted post claiming that a federal officer’s shoulder patch bore those three identifying letters. The foreign nations aren’t the only disseminators of false information. "Deputy Director (Richard "Kris") Cline said he doesn't have his officers wear name tags because they're being doxxed. That's another thing that's absolutely disgusting.
"There has been a tremendous amount of false information out there," Morgan said. For at least 50 nights, demonstrators have protested racial inequality and police brutality. Obama administration National Security Advisor Susan Rice spread a baseless conspiracy theory Saturday, accusing federal agents in Portland of working for a private security firm named “ZTI.”
You should be worried. The Oregon city has seen daily demonstrations since George Floyd's death in police custody on Memorial Day, USA TODAY has reported. Close.
One featured the letter and number combination "DZ1." The identity of the anonymous federal officers was scrutinized in the media after violent encounters with protesters in Portland. The mystery of the coded patches on agents' shoulders received special attention on social media. They'll say record keeping broke down in the fog of war, and no individual can be held accountable because nobody knows who was wearing the uniform. No, officers in Portland are not from a private contractor called ZTI If Your Time is short The patch in the post reads “ZT1” — a unique identifier aimed at keeping the pictured U.S. The patch says ZT1, not ZTI. The ZT-1 Patch Is a Personal Identifier So the Names of the Agents Aren’t Known Publicly. I could believe either and your comment doesn't really make it clear which is true. "People are being literally scooped off the street into unmarked vans, rental cars," Wheeler told CNN on Sunday. Solidarity protests also erupted in Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, and Richmond, where demonstrators blocked traffic and clashed with officers. That's exactly right. Portland, Oregon (CNN)A night of chaos gave way to a day of disputes over what's fueling heightened unrest in Portland. So yes, I as the acting commissioner have authorized and supported removing their names from their uniforms. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Some demonstrators tore down the fence to the headquarters of the Aurora Police Department and shot fireworks at officers. We all should be extremely worried.”. "Violent anarchists have organized events in Portland over the last several weeks with willful intent to damage and destroy federal property, as well as, injure federal officers and agents," the agency said in a statement to CNN. Lives are going to be lost in Portland. Kate Brown and Wheeler demanded the federal officers be withdrawn, and a US senator joined them in condemning the arrests. "SRT" is an acronym for Special Response Team, according to a document released by the CBP. It is also false to claim that former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson implicated Erik Prince or Blackwater in a televised interview. Follow him on Twitter at, Shut Down DC's 'Strategic framework for action followin, Without any evidence, Joe Biden claimed the intelligenc, Gov. "It is offensive to refer to these dedicated men and women that are out there as law enforcement professionals to make that reference," he continued, regarding references to "unidentified masked stormtroopers.". "Our personnel are clearly marked as federal LEOs & have unique identifiers. More:Reporting on a deadly airstrike in Afghanistan. ", Fact or fiction:We'll deliver our fact checks to your inbox every day. "Apparently, they are being denied probable cause, and they're denied due process.